Shadows of Evil
by Zesha
Summary: An Egyptian expedition has unleashed a part of Yami's past that he is willing to forget. Now, he must face these shadows to protect his friends and himself.


Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, but I do own Jessie and the other members of the excavation crew. So, don't sue me. You wouldn't get much. Now on with the story  
  
Shadows of Evil  
Chapter One:  
Unveiling the Past  
  
RING!!!  
  
The last bell of the day rang. All of the students of Domino High hurried out of the building, eager to start their weekend early. All, that is, except for a handful of students who were discussing "important" issues.  
  
"'Kay, so who's house are we hangin' out at tonight?" asked the tall blonde.  
  
"Well, we were at my house last weekend. My parents totally freaked when they saw the mess you made, Joey!!" snapped Tea as she crossed her arms.  
  
"Hey, it wasn't my fault. If Tristen hadn't of pushed me into that cabinet, everything would have been alright!" Joey retorted.  
  
"I didn't push you!! I tripped over that dishrag you call a coat that you left lying in the floor!!" Tristen yelled as he lunged at Joey.  
  
"It really doesn't matter whose fault it is," Tea snorted as she stepped in between the two. "All I know is that my mother was really mad because her collection of VERY EXPENSIVE glass dolls was in that cabinet. And I don't think she's going to let either of you near her breakables, not to mention her house, any time soon!!"  
  
Both boys sweat dropped as they backed down from the enraged teen. They had learned in the past that you don't continue a fight with a mad, teenage female, especially Tea.  
  
Yugi stood there and giggled silently to himself at the spectacle that was unfolding before him. He loved his friends, and they knew it. But he couldn't help but laugh when Joey and Tristen acted this way. Maybe one day they would learn to show their friendship in a different way, but until then, at least they were friends.  
  
//Something amuses you. What is happening, Aibou?//  
  
/The usual, Yami. Joey, Tristen, and Tea' are going at it./  
  
//Why?//  
  
/They're trying to find someone to blame for last weekend's "incident."/  
  
//You mean with Tea's mother?// Yami couldn't help but laugh to himself. //There were wrathful women in ancient Egypt, but none compared to her. She sent chills down my spine.//  
  
/Yami, when something scares you, I know we're in trouble./  
  
//I never said I was scared, Aibou, just a little .... unnerved.//  
  
/Right./  
  
//Is the coast clear? .. as you would say.//  
  
Yugi looked around to see if all the other students had left. /Yea, Yami, come on out./  
  
With that the Millennium Puzzle began to glow, and with a flash of blue light Yugi's darker half appeared beside him. Yami looked at the three friends, then at his hikari. He never understood how a peaceful boy like Yugi could find friends so. so.violent. Yugi never wanted to fight unless it was for somebody he wanted to protect. Without knowing it, Yugi had surrounded himself with friends who are willing to protect him at any cost. But right now they seemed more interested in fighting each other than anything else.  
  
"Should we stop them?" Yami asked as he crossed his arms.  
  
"I guess we should," Yugi responded as he looked at his watch, "Grandpa might get worried if we don't get home soon."  
  
Yugi left his position beside his yami and cautiously walked towards the bickering friends.  
  
"..who ya callin' a dork? Ya...CHICKEN!!!!!" Joey roared as he pushed Tristen backwards.  
  
Tristen sprinted forward, ready to retaliate, but then a small, multicolored figure blocked his path.  
  
"Ok, that's enough guys," Yugi said as he raised his hands to stop the boys. "Listen, let's just meet at my house tonight and avoid all of this."  
  
The squabbling boys looked at each other and nodded in agreement.  
  
"Ok, Yugi. What time do you want us there?" Tristen asked as he thrust his hands into his pockets.  
  
"How about .. five. Is that ok with everyone?" Yugi responded as he scanned his friends for their responses.  
  
"Sure," Tea responded. "See you guys there." With that she turned and walked in the direction of her house.  
  
"See ya," Yugi replied as he turned away and headed towards the game shop. The puzzles on both of the boys began to glow and the taller of the two disappeared, withdrawing to his soul room.  
  
//Yugi, do you think it is a good idea to invite them without asking your grandpa first?//  
  
/Well, to tell you the truth, I figured something like this would happen. So, I went ahead and cleared it with him./  
  
Yami laughed. //You are a wise one, Aibou. Maybe one day your friends will learn from your example.//  
  
Yugi smiled at what his other self had said. /I have a feeling that tonight is going to be a night to remember./  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Meanwhile at an excavation site near the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, a short, blonde headed researcher races to tell her superiors the good news.  
  
"Dr. Ciras!!! Dr. Ciras!!!" she cried as she sprinted towards the doctor's tent, jumping over tools and other workers in a mad rush to reach her mentor.  
  
Dr. Thomas Ciras was a well known Egyptologist who was based in Japan. He was an older man with a receding white hairline, round belly, and a kind face. He had heard legends of a tomb buried somewhere near Thebes. And after many, many months of tireless searching, they had finally found something: a large Egyptian building covered with many different protection spells and surrounded by guardian statues. The doors were still sealed and there we no indications of any kind of disturbance, not even signs that would indicate the presence of thieves. This was a magnificent find! Never in his career had Dr. Ciras found a site so well preserved. But now, his sponsor is ready to cut his funding, and now the good doctor must fight to keep his expedition.  
  
"Mr. Hathaway, this is a major find! Never has a temple in such good condition been discovered. It hasn't been touched in thousands of years, so whatever was buried inside must still in there." Dr. Ciras stated trying to keep his sponsor's attention.  
  
"Well, Doctor, it might be a good find, but you have yet to show me any evidence that this is worth any of my money. If you haven't shown me any results by now, why should I waste my time?" the tall businessman responded as he smirked evilly at the doctor.  
  
Dr. Ciras clenched his fists and tried to hide his hate. He loathed working for these big business types; all they care about is money. But finding a sponsor was hard, and he had to find one before another archaeologist found the site first. 'I must find a way to convince him.' Dr. Ciras thought to himself. Slowly he unclenched his fists and began to calm down.  
  
"It's like they didn't want it to be found, so whatever's inside must be valuable," countered the doctor, hoping that would interest the big shot.  
  
"I don't know, Thomas. Until you can show me proof that putting my money into this project is worth it, I have my doubts." retorted Mr. Hathaway as he ran his fingers through his dark, over gelled hair.  
  
Just then, the researcher burst through the door of the tent, her eyes shining with excitement.  
  
"Dr. .... We ... doors .... open.." The researcher tried, but was too out of breath because of the run.  
  
"Whoa!! Calm down, Jessie. Take slow, deep breaths. Now. tell me what happened." Dr. Ciras comforted as he patted his assistant on the back.  
  
Jessie stopped and took several deep breaths, then continued, "We broke through!! We're ready to open the main doors of the structure!!" she exclaimed as the excitement began to build in her voice.  
  
The Egyptologist turned to face the corporate executive. "Well, maybe we can finally give you the proof you need," laughed the doctor as a smile spread across his face.  
  
The trio walked out of the tent, following the path that led to the site. Hathaway complained about the sand getting on his shoes as the two Egyptologists discussed the find.  
  
"..and we discovered from the writings along the outer walls that the building is most definitely a tomb!" Jessie continued as the doctor listened.  
  
"Hmm," Dr. Ciras mused as he ran his fingers through his beard. "That makes the find much more valuable! We need to hurry, I want to see the inside of the tomb before it gets dark."  
  
The two researchers begin to walk faster as they neared the site. Hathaway looked up and realized that he's being left behind and with a final grunt, quickened his pace as well..  
  
The sides of the path were lined with workers, both of Egyptian descent and Japanese, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their leader so they could witness the fruits of their labor. Cheers and applause erupted from all the members of the crowd, all that is except a select few. Dr. Ciras walked up to the door of the elaborately decorated tomb with Jessie standing proudly by his side, when one of the Egyptians stepped out of the crowd and sprinted towards the group.  
  
"Sir, sir, you can't open this tomb. It's sacred!" the man exclaimed as he came to a halt.  
  
Thomas let out an exasperated sigh. "Shahir, we've discussed this many times. The curse isn't real."  
  
This caught the capitalist's attention. "Curse?!?!"  
  
"These inscriptions were placed on buildings as such to ward off tomb robbers, and such. You know that!"  
  
"Sir, I know. But I feel a dark presence coming from this place, as do many of the others," he motioned over the crowd to receive affirmation from several of the others.  
  
Thomas wiped his forehead with his handkerchief as his anger level rose. "I will here no more of it! Get back to your place in line!"  
  
Shahir tried to interject again, but the doctor made a motion for silence. So, Shahir silently lowered his head and obeyed the leader of the expedition.  
  
"Now, let's proceed," Thomas motioned for a nearby worker armed with a chisel and hammer to begin his work. Only the final seal stood in the way of the workers and their ultimate goal. "Jessie, my camera."  
  
The young archaeologist gasped when she realized that she had forgotten it. "ummm, I left it back at the tent."  
  
"What?" Dr. Ciras responded as he turned his head to face his assistant. "I would really appreciate it, if you would run back and fetch it for me, my dear. We're going on ahead, meet us inside."  
  
"Yes, sir," was all Jessie said before she dashed back towards the tent.  
  
The craftsman continued his work on the last seal until it finally fell off with a clank. He jumped up and looked towards his superior, "Sir, we're in!"  
  
"Marvelous!! Open the doors." Several burly Egyptian men stepped out of the crowd and approached the door. They gathered on both sides of the doors and began to pull with all their might. The doctor's excitement began to grow with each passing moment. "Come on, boys, faster."  
  
With a loud groan, the large double doors unwillingly opened. A sudden flash of light blinded everyone within the area and a few of the natives ran for cover. Then, as fast as it had appeared, the light faded.  
  
"What was that?" Mr. Hathaway inquired as he lowered his arms from his face.  
  
"I don't know, but we're going to find out," Dr. Ciras stated as he took a lantern and headed down the stairs that led into the tomb. Hathaway uncertainly looked around to see that most of the others following their brave leader, he then shrugged and cautiously entered the tomb.  
  
The tomb was very cold and the pathways were very narrow. Hieroglyphics lined the wall, depicting the tale of the person's life and death. After a while of walking, the hallway emptied into a grand room adorned with beautiful wall paintings. The paint on the walls still looked fresh even after the thousands of years of burial; personal items were strategically placed along the room, meant for the dead to use in the next life; and to finish off the beautiful room, golden statues of the gods were embedded into the pillars, offering their blessings to guide the soul buried within.  
  
"This is astounding! It looks like a pharaoh's tomb!" Thomas exclaimed as he passed his lantern over the walls. "The preservation is far better than anything I could have hoped for!" He then stopped at a particular painting of two boys playing by the Nile River. "Amazing!"  
  
Hathaway turned, the gold statues catching his eye, "I must agree that this is a wonderful find." He rubbed his hands together, "This could prove to be profitable."  
  
"Doctor! Doctor!" came a voice from the other side of the room. "There is another hallway leading this way!"  
  
Thomas left what he was doing and followed the voice, his money hungry sponsor close behind. "It must lead to one of the main chambers."  
  
"Maybe it'll lead to more treasures!" Hathaway mused as Dr. Ciras rolled his eyes.  
  
The group followed the newly discovered pathway along its many winding corners until it led them to another room. This one was not as big as the last, but it surpassed it in beauty. Paintings of Anubis leading the soul, the Judgment of Ma'at, and the Feather of Truth lined the wall farthest from the entrance. The other walls were covered with Egyptian daily life, focusing mainly on two boys that favored each other significantly. But the center of the room is what drew all the archaeologists' attention. In the center was a huge sarcophagus adorned with extravagant carvings, depicting the soul as royalty.  
  
The doctor hesitantly stepped forward, absorbing all that was around him. He then stopped in front of the room's centerpiece. "Whoever this is, he must have been highly thought of for the people to go through this much trouble to ensure his comfort in the afterlife." He then motioned for his crew to approach him and their prized discovery. "We need to make sure that there is a mummy in there before we celebrate. Prepare to open it."  
  
The same men from earlier surrounded the sarcophagus, and with their crowbars, they began to open the stone coffin as gently as possible. The lid finally gave way and slid off onto the floor. The men jumped back, horrified at what they saw. The doctor pushed his way forward and looked into the sarcophagus. He immediately regretted his actions.  
  
"Dear, God!!" was all he could say as he backed away from the two blood red eyes that locked their gaze on him. The crew barely had enough time to let out a scream before they fell into nothingness.  
  
Jessie huffed as she made her way back to the site, the precious camera that she had been sent for tucked protectively under her arm. "I. can't believe.. I forgot.. his camera! I.. hope. they haven't .. made it.. too far in." She finally made it to the entrance and found no one there to greet her. "Man! I can't. believe this!" She quickly grabbed a lantern and began descending the stairs that guarded the entrance. Her ears perked at the faint sound of screaming. "What is going on?!" Out of fear, she began to back out of the tomb. Suddenly, another bright light emanated from within the depths of tomb and Jessie's body was consumed with searing, unbearable pain. Her face contorted into a silent scream as the sensation intensified. The young archaeologist struggled to hold on to consciousness, her team was in there and she had to find out if they were ok. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the pain stopped and she stumbled down the stairs falling face down into the dirt. The prized camera she carried rolled away from her and stopped at the edge of the shadows that filled the hallway before her. The fallen researcher struggled to lift her head just as a dark figure approached her from the said shadows. Two blood red eyes began to glow as the darkness finally claimed her.  
  
Author's Note: Well, that's the first chapter. I know I left you  
guys with a cliffy. I promise I'll update as soon as I can. Please  
review and let me know what you think. No flames please. If you want  
to give me some constructive criticism, please e-mail it to me.  
Thanks for your time and please remember to review. 


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